- Source
- Vergil. The Bucolics, Aeneid, and Georgics Of Virgil. Greenough, J.B., editor. Boston: Ginn and Company, 1881.
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:latinLit:phi0690.phi001.humanitext-lat2:8.58-8.109
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-27
Damon concludes his lament on his tragic love, and Alphesiboeus takes over, chanting a powerful magical ritual to draw back the lost lover Daphnis from the city.
Omnia vel medium fiant mare:1 vivite, silvae!
Let all things even become mid-ocean: farewell, woods!
praeceps aerii specula de montis in undas
Headlong from the lookout of a lofty mountain into the waves
deferar; extremum hoc munus morientis habeto.
I shall be cast down; have this last gift of one who is dying.
desine Maenalios, iam desine, tibia, versus.
Cease, my pipe, now cease Maenalian verses.
Haec Damon: vos, quae responderit Alphesiboeus,
Thus Damon: you, what Alphesiboeus answered,
dicite, Pierides; non omnia possumus omnes.
sing, Muses of Pieria; we cannot all do all things.
Effer aquam, et molli cinge haec altaria vitta,
Bring out water, and bind these altars with a soft fillet,
verbenasque adole pinguis et mascula tura,
and burn rich boughs and male frankincense,
coniugis ut magicis sanos avertere sacris
that I may try by magic rites to turn away the sane senses
experiar sensus2 nihil hic nisi carmina desunt.
of my husband: nothing here but charms is wanting.
Ducite ab urbe domum, mea carmina, ducite Daphnim.
Lead home from the city, my charms, lead Daphnis home.
Carmina vel caelo possunt deducere Lunam;
Charms can even draw down the Moon from heaven;
carminibus Circe socios mutavit Ulixi;
by charms Circe changed the companions of Ulysses;
frigidus in pratis cantando rumpitur anguis.
the cold snake in the meadows is burst by chanting.
Ducite ab urbe domum, mea carmina, ducite Daphnim.
Lead home from the city, my charms, lead Daphnis home.
terna tibi haec primum triplici diversa colore
These three threads first, distinct with three-fold color,
licia circumdo, terque haec altaria circum
I wind around you, and three times around these altars
effigiem duco: numero deus impare gaudet.
I lead your image: the god delights in an uneven number.
Ducite ab urbe domum, mea carmina, ducite Daphnim.
Lead home from the city, my charms, lead Daphnis home.
Necte tribus nodis ternos, Amarylli, colores,
Bind with three knots, Amaryllis, the three colors,
necte, Amarylli, modo, et “Veneris” dic “vincula necto.”
bind them now, Amaryllis, and say: ‘I bind the bonds of Venus.’
Ducite ab urbe domum, mea carmina, ducite Daphnim.
Lead home from the city, my charms, lead Daphnis home.
Limus ut hic durescit et haec ut cera liquescit
As this clay hardens, and as this wax melts
uno eodemque igni, sic nostro Daphnis amore.3
under one and the same fire, so let Daphnis do by our love.
Sparge molam, et fragilis incende bitumine laurus.
Scatter the salted meal, and burn brittle laurel with bitumen.
Daphnis me malus urit, ego hanc in Daphnide laurum.
Cruel Daphnis burns me, I burn this laurel on Daphnis.
Ducite ab urbe domum, mea carmina, ducite Daphnim.
Lead home from the city, my charms, lead Daphnis home.
Talis amor Daphnim, qualis cum fessa iuvencum
May such love possess Daphnis, as when a weary heifer, seeking her steer
per nemora atque altos quaerendo bucula lucos
through groves and deep forests,
propter aquae rivum viridi procumbit in ulva,
lies down in the green sedge beside a stream of water,
perdita, nec serae meminit decedere nocti,
lost, and remembers not to depart before the late night;
talis amor teneat, nec sit mihi cura mederi.
may such love hold him, nor let it be my care to heal him.
Ducite ab urbe domum, mea carmina, ducite Daphnim.
Lead home from the city, my charms, lead Daphnis home.
Has olim exuvias mihi perfidus ille reliquit,
These relics that faithless man once left with me,
pignora cara sui, quae nunc ego limine in ipso,
dear pledges of himself, which now on the very threshold,
terra, tibi mando; debent haec pignora Daphnim.4
O earth, I entrust to you; these pledges owe me Daphnis.
Ducite ab urbe domum, mea carmina, ducite Daphnim.
Lead home from the city, my charms, lead Daphnis home.
Has herbas atque haec Ponto mihi lecta venena
These herbs and these poisons gathered in Pontus
ipse dedit Moeris; nascuntur plurima Ponto.
Moeris himself gave me; many grow in Pontus.
His ego saepe lupum fieri et se condere silvis
By these I have often seen Moeris become a wolf and hide in the woods,
Moerim, saepe animas imis excire sepulcris,atque satas alio vidi traducere messis.
often call forth souls from the bottom of graves,
Ducite ab urbe domum, mea carmina, ducite Daphnim.
Lead home from the city, my charms, lead Daphnis home.
Fer cineres, Amarylli, foras, rivoque fluenti
Carry the ashes outside, Amaryllis, and into the running stream
transque caput iace, nec respexeris: his ego Daphnim
throw them over your head, and do not look back: with these I Daphnis
adgrediar, nihil ille deos, nil carmina curat.
will assail; he cares nothing for gods, nothing for charms.
Ducite ab urbe domum, mea carmina, ducite Daphnim.
Lead home from the city, my charms, lead Daphnis home.
Aspice, corripuit tremulis altaria flammis
Look! The ash itself has seized the altars with trembling flames
sponte sua, dum ferre moror, cinis ipse: bonum sit!
of its own accord, while I delay to carry it: may it be a good sign!
Nescio quid certe est, et Hylas in limine latrat.
Something surely is happening, and Hylas is barking at the threshold.
Credimus, an, qui amant, ipsi sibi somnia fingunt?
Do we believe it, or do those who love fashion dreams for themselves?
Parcite, ab urbe venit, iam carmina, parcite, Daphnis.
Cease, my charms, now cease, Daphnis is coming from the city.
- 8.58Omnia vel medium fiant mare
The adverb 'vel', which usually means 'or', is used here emphatically to mean 'even' or 'indeed', highlighting the total inversion of nature (adynaton) where everything becomes the deep sea.
- 8.66coniugis ut magicis sanos avertere sacris / experiar sensus
In the purpose clause introduced by 'ut' ('in order that'), the infinitive 'avertere' depends on the main verb 'experiar' ('I may try'). The adjective 'sanos' ('sane') modifies 'sensus' ('senses') predicatively, meaning 'to turn away his senses, which are otherwise sane' (i.e., to make him madly in love).
- 8.81sic nostro Daphnis amore
The main clause introduced by 'sic' ('so') corresponds to the 'ut... durescit et... liquescit' ('as... hardens and... melts') in line 80, but the verb (such as 'durescat/liquescat' or a generic verb of action) is omitted. This ellipsis cleverly encapsulates the double effect of the fire (hardening and melting) applied to Daphnis's love.
- 8.93debent haec pignora Daphnim
The verb 'debere' ('to owe') is used in a compelling magical-legal sense: 'these pledges (pignora) owe me Daphnis (Daphnim, accusative object)', meaning they are under a binding obligation to bring Daphnis back.
Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)
- 2026-09-21 AI review — source 1